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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · hide · cold · bulb · band · game · bank · last

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bank — for money
  3. bulb — for light
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cold — not warm
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. last — final
  16. band — a ring
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bank — for money
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. band — a music group
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com